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Open Source Normal Map Generator

Seeing as a lot of people used Crazy Bump (myself included) but it went commercial some time ago, I tripped across this awesome open source software SSbump Generator. It can create normal maps, ambient occ maps as well as what appears to be a cross between them? Sounds like it was meant originally to create the normals for Source Engine but it most definitely can work with blender and the results are very very good. Check it out!

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I have a LONG history with Blender - I wrote some of the earliest Blender tutorials, worked for Not a Number and helped run the crowdfunding campaign that open sourced Blender (the first one on the internet!). I founded BlenderNation in 2006 and have been editing it every single day since then ;-)

@sbn: Nice tip on the normal map shortcut. Blender calculates AO based on mesh geometry, so to get an AO map from Blender you need a physically deformed mesh to bake.
@Corsair, I use more tools than just Blender, I was just saying that Blender can also do at least these two maps as well. And, I mentored a very nice wiki author who rewrote that section because the feature was so popular but deserved better doco. However, if SSbump does it better or easier, by all means add it to your toolbox. If it doesn't, then there's really no sense in learning yet another specialized tool when the hammer you have does the job just fine.

Does anyone know if a normal map can be converted to a depth map (greyscale gradient from white close up to black far away) easily?

I want to take pictures of a person's face, make a normal map from them (using this method: http://zarria.net/nrmphoto/nrmphoto.html), then convert that to a depth map to feed into a photo-to-CNC (gcode) application that will allow me to machine that face into a block of wood (or something similar) with a CNC Mill.

I've done this with blender-generated depth maps (of a 3D CAD model) which came out rather nicely. Would love to be able to do this with people's faces (or other real-world objects that can be photographed.)

how to make your depthmap:
1) take photo
2) open in photoshop
3) use Photoshop Nvidia plugin to create normal map
4) save this normal map
5) open this normal map in photoshop
6) use Photoshop Nvidia plugin, but this time select the "depth map" option.
7) voila.